A three-week-old baby girl has frozen to death in Gaza, while at least 10 people have been killed by airstrikes amidst escalating tensions between Israel and Hamas. The incident highlights the dire living conditions in Gaza’s tent camps, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are crammed into makeshift shelters after fleeing Israeli offensives.
On Thursday, an Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood killed five people, with 20 more wounded. A vehicle carrying journalists was also struck in central Gaza, killing five, according to health authorities. The journalists worked for Al-Quds Al-Youm television channel.
The conflict has resulted in over 45,000 Palestinian deaths, with more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion has caused widespread destruction and displaced about 90% of the territory’s 2.3 million people.
Aid groups struggle to deliver food and supplies due to Israeli restrictions, with shortages of blankets, warm clothing, and firewood reported. Despite increased aid shipments, the amount remains below previous levels, according to the United Nations.
The father of three-week-old Sila, Mahmoud al-Faseeh, said his daughter died from hypothermia after being left exposed in their tent without adequate shelter or warmth. “It was very cold overnight and as adults we couldn’t even take it. We couldn’t stay warm,” he told Associated Press.
Hopes for a ceasefire remain complicated, with Israel and Hamas trading accusations of delaying an agreement. The two sides appear to be inching toward a deal but differences have emerged over the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/25/baby-girl-freezes-to-death-in-gaza-while-israel-and-hamas-argue-over-ceasefire